ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) remains indecisive about participating in the key national security meeting, as its leadership gives conflicting statements on the in-camera session scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday), following the deadly Jaffar Express incident.
PTI’s central spokesperson, Sheikh Waqas Akram, said that the party would attend the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting.
However, PTI’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president, Junaid Akbar, claimed that the party had not been informed about the meeting.
He further asserted that no decision could be made without consulting the party’s founder, Imran Khan, as his approval was essential for any such participation.
Akbar added that PTI would move forward on any matter, including committee participation, only after discussing it with its founder. He confirmed that consultation regarding attendance at the security meeting would take place.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has convened an in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) tomorrow amid surge in terror incidents, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office (PMO) on Sunday, the NA speaker scheduled the session for Tuesday at 1:30pm on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The military leadership will provide a comprehensive briefing to the parliamentary committee on the prevailing security situation, the statement added.
The session will be attended by parliamentary leaders of political parties in the National Assembly and the Senate, along with their nominated representatives. Relevant cabinet members will also be in attendance.
Meanwhile, the government has also signalled at calling an all-parties conference on the issue of terrorism, with PM Shehbaz’s aide, Rana Sanaullah, saying that the ruling alliance would ask the PTI to participate when such a meeting takes place.
The crucial NA meeting has been summoned days after a major terrorist attack on passenger train in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district in Balochistan.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which share borders with neighbouring Afghanistan, have faced the brunt of the terrorist attacks — with both provinces accounting for over 96% of terrorist attacks and deaths in Pakistan in 2024 as per a Global Terrorism Index 2025 report.
Dozens of militants, affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), blew up a railway track and assaulted Jaffar Express on Tuesday, carrying more than 440 passengers — who were taken hostage.
The security forces, after a complex clearance operation, neutralised 33 attackers and rescued the hostage passengers.
Apart from five operational casualties, as many as 26 passengers were martyred by the terrorists, of which 18 were security personnel belonging to the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps (FC), three were officials from Pakistan Railways and other departments, and five were civilians.
Also, three FC personnel were martyred in the militants’ attack targeting a picket before the train ambush.
The country has witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks since Taliban rulers returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
In January 2025, the terror attacked surged by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.
Strict security measures have been put in place for the in-camera session of the National Security Committee, according to the National Assembly spokesperson.
Entry into the National Assembly has been restricted, with unauthorised individuals prohibited from accessing the premises. Additionally, all entry cards, including those issued to media personnel, have been temporarily deactivated.
Filming, videography, and photography within the parliamentary premises have also been strictly banned during the session.
The spokesperson emphasised that authorities are fully aware of the media’s role and requirements but urged media personnel and relevant stakeholders to cooperate, given the sensitivity of national security matters.
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